Results from the March/April 2021 Hawkeye Poll Released

The March/April 2021 Hawkeye Poll examined Governor Kim Reynolds' approval rating among Iowans, the biases of social media posts, Iowans' opinions on gun rights and permitless carry, and Iowans' opinions of QAnon. The results were released recently and are summarized here, with links to more in-depth details:

• A plurality of Iowans dissaprove of the way Reynolds is handling her job as governor, with an approval rating of 36.6% and a dissaproval rating of 45.2%. The Republican party supports the Governor at a higher rate (69.0%) than Democrats (14.5%). This poll also measured approval ratings of the state legislature and whether or not respondents approved of the direction Iowa is moving in policies. More details of this poll are available here.
• A majority (56.5%) of Iowans believe that social media companies target political ideologies, particularly conservative viewpoints, when deciding how to label posts or banning individuals. Among respondents that believe ideological targeting exists, 56.0% of those believe that conservative viewpoints are targeted more than moderate or liberal viewpoints. Detailed results of this poll are available here.
• A slight majority of Iowans opposes permitless carry of firearms, with 53.7% strongly (39.9%) or somewhat (13.8%) opposing the purchase and carrying of guns without a permit. 32.7% strongly (19.1%) or somewhat (13.6%) supported the measure. More details of this poll are available here.
• Though a plurality of Iowans supports a proposed constitutional amendment to protect their right to bear arms, a large percentage remain undecided. 39.4% were in favor of the amendment, 29.6% were against it, and 31.0% responded that they were not sure, or declined to respond. Detailed results of this poll are available here.
• A little over half of Iowans (54.9%) have heard of QAnon, and of those who know about it, 59.6% thought it was a "very bad thing for the country" and 14.2% thought it was somewhat bad. Less than ten percent of respondents thought that it was a good thing for the country. More detailed results are available here.

The University of Iowa Department of Political Science has conducted the Hawkeye Poll since 2007. A series of national and state public opinion polls, this experience serves as an important learning opportunity for students. Over 1000 students have had the opportunity to directly participate in the research and survey process and to acquire valuable career-related knowledge about survey research and public polling in general. This year 17 students collaborated to design and implement a poll of Iowans. Learn more about the course here.